gluten/wheat/barley free recipes

rosecox67

I've had health issues for many years and I'm convinced it's food related. After seeing a dietician I've been recommended to cut wheat, gluten and barley out of my diet to see which group is affecting me. I'm looking for recipes that I can try?

Kamikazeflutterby

**Obligatory gluten is good dis clamor** Gluten's just a protein found in grains like wheat, barley and rye. It's gotten a bad wrap lately as the new dietary villain and quick fix. For people who don't have health problems there's no benefit to going gluten free. End dis clamor.

Now for recipes!
Polenta can be pretty yummy. It's basically yellow corn grits.

Anything with corn tortillas would also work. I like chilaquiles and baked taquitos.

Other than that, good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

MaryCS62

Stay away from processed foods as much as you can -- they can be hidden sources of gluten. My daughter has celiac disease, so has to stay away from it & I've gotten pretty good at cooking everything so that she can eat it. Commercial gluten free foods can be useful, but many are higher calorie/lower nutrition/costlier than their regular counterparts, so use sparingly.
Gluten free recipe websites abound, so just type in what you want to cook, add the words gluten free & easy (otherwise you can get some with lots of ingredients you may not want to get just for that recipe!) & go.
The easiest ways to start are with whole foods -- lean meats/fish etc, fruits, veggies, potatoes/rice/cornmeal products & progress from there. Good luck.

rosecox67

Thanks for your response. I'm not totally intolerant and think it could be barley products rather than specifically gluten/wheat based so my dietician advised me to completely cut everything out for 3 months which when I'm next due to see her and then start introducing back into my diet.

MostlyWater

DH is gluten free, red meat free, dairy free, and sugar free. He sticks to real food; soups, fresh fish with salads, baked chicken with sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, etc. It's not that hard.

Teneko

These days, it's a lot easier to maintain a gluten free diet. Many restaurants clearly label their foods and even have a gluten free menu. Depending on where you are in the world, there may even be dedicated gluten free bakeries and restaurants for an even more "pure" gluten free experience.
Rice, corn, quinoa...almond flour and coconut flour...
Just be really careful if you're eating out. Asian places tend to use soy sauce that contains wheat so you might want to take your own gluten free tamari sauce (the one made by San-J is great).
Baking will be an interesting challenge, but the good news is that there are a LOT of great recipe sites out there dedicated to gluten free baking and cooking!
Here's one of my favourites: http://glutenfreegirl.com/
I may be slightly biased because I won the Schar gluten free gift basket from there before I went on my low carb diet. >_>

Here is my personal recipe for gluten (and dairy) free banana nut bread...with chocolate chips: http://food.check-the-logs.com/?p=46

I started off using corn tortillas and tortilla chips instead of bread. I also found Mary's Gone Crackers gluten-free seed crackers which are really tasty and used those with tuna salad. Gradually, I stopped even using the substitutes and am now on the keto diet (super low carb).

Honestly, I know there's a lot of conflicting info about going gluten free. All I know is I had horrible problems when I ate wheat/gluten containing products. I didn't get sick when I stopped eating them. I don't care if it's the wheat, the gluten, or the FODMAPS. All I care is that I feel better when I don't eat them.

-T.

tdc8557

Hi there! I've been gluten free for 5 years. The time leading up to it was awful: gluten fog, migraines, upset stomach, general misery. It's taken a lot of trial and error, but I've finally found brands I like and recipes I enjoy.

Brand recommendations:
Rudi's (not to be confused with Udi's) makes really good tortillas-I love their spinach wraps.
Costco makes good GF bread if you have a Costco near you/have a membership.
King Arthur Flour has a TON of GF baking mixes, recipes, and alternative flours. Seriously, they're great.
Barilla just came out with a GF pasta line. Schar is also typically pretty good.

General recommendations:
Rather than go buy a ton of processed GF foods, it's better, and more fun, to make your own alternatives. I've started using a spiralizer to make pasta out of sweet potatoes and zucchini. The other night I made pizza using cauliflower and it was amazing. And this is coming from someone who really doesn't like cauliflower. Here's the recipe, if you're interested: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Crust-Pizza-Recipe-30739512

There are so many different flours available now: almond, coconut, etc. Just make sure if you're doing a recipe conversion to have xantham gum on hand.

Something I've learned is having a dietary restriction basically means you need to think outside of the box. Have fun and good luck! Hit me up if you need any more recommendations.

TD

tahlstedt

I've been gluten free for 2 months now and have noticed many health improvements. Improved quality of sleep, fewer headaches, more energy, and improved digestion. I hope you also have positive results!

Tora32

I've been gluten free for a few years now, and like others have said, it's a lot easier now than when I started out since it's gone so mainstream. If you're into baking at all, my personal favorite recipe source is glutenfreeonashoestring.com/. Also, my personal favorite pizza dough ever is chebe bread (I usually buy the mixes at the local Hy-Vee), but then I like my crust thick and cheesy.

I've also had good luck finding things on Pinterest. Either specifically look up gluten free recipes for whatever you feel like, or look for things that are likely to be naturally gluten free like veggies or meats. If you eat a lot of sandwiches, you can go for gluten-free bread, or you can experiment with corn tortillas or lettuce wraps as tasty alternatives.

Also, my latest fun addition is rice. It's so easy to toss some meat and veggies in the crockpot and serve it on top of rice, and it feels like I'm eating a proper meal with just a bit of pre-planning. My latest rice dish was slow cooker sweet and sour chicken, which I enjoyed.

Lissa_Kaye

Have you tried Quinoa? It is really awesome. I love my little black and decker rice cooker. Get a good quality quinoa, the bulk stuff at store like winco can taste really old. My favorite is Eden organic. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly then add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to rice cooker. I like to use knorr granulated chicken stock, but it does have MSG so use whatever kind you like. I use 1 tsp, per cup of quinoa. I also grind my own dried rosemary and add it in to taste. Start with a half tsp and see how you like it. Then hit your cook button. When its done stir in 1 tbs of oil. I love Bragg's raw unfiltered olive oil. I also use Nutiva's red palm oil. They both have interesting flavors. If you want some other quinoa recipes, I have a great breakfast one.